


Gold Sand, Green Surf

by gayety



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Crushes, F/F, Fluff, Mild Language, Summer, Summer Vacation, Surfing, by language i mean the use of shit and fuck on two separate occasions but anyway, chaewon is smth of an aspiring photographer, hyunjin is hyunjin, sand, soft crushes, the beach
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-19
Updated: 2019-11-19
Packaged: 2021-02-13 02:17:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21486691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gayety/pseuds/gayety
Summary: These three weeks of summer vacation are always so boring. The cute girl across the bay from Chaewon is quite the opposite.
Relationships: Kim Hyunjin/Park Chaewon | Go Won
Comments: 12
Kudos: 88





	Gold Sand, Green Surf

**Author's Note:**

> it is i jackass here to supply butterbread needs!!! anyway i think i started this back in like july and just... never completed it but here it is just in time for gowon day~~~ this takes place in some ambiguous, possibly-american area but tbh it doesn't matter.. i hope you enjoy

The sea is nothing but an expanse of blue waves reflecting the sky above, rolling over each other, pushed by wind. The loose sand flies everywhere across the beach. It feels like it’s only going into Chaewon’s eyes and mouth, stinging her sunscreen-covered skin. Whenever she tries to spit the sand out, she only gets more in. She tries not to grind her teeth because that would make it worse.

She buries her feet farther into the warm sand, squinting at the empty beach around her. It’s a lot colder than it had looked from the window, but only because of the wind. It would be nice if she came here on a more pleasant day, but she had wanted to get away for a minute and here she is. She only hears the waves rushing up against the pebbled shore, and the wind blowing around her.

First day on vacation. Cold, sandy, but it’s better than talking to family she barely knows. The uncles and aunties came to visit the beach house, and all the cousins came, too. Tagged along. First cousins, second cousins, even third. Chaewon’s feeling vague about the whole thing. She hones in on the sensation of sand pelting her face instead.

Someone’s on the water now, surfing despite the wind. Windsurfers aren’t even riding the waves today, so there’s no reason a normal surfer would be, and yet here they are. Their movements are smooth, and they glide across the surface as if it were a mirror, balancing on the board like it’s solid ground. For a fleeting moment, envy pricks the back of Chaewon’s mind, but it’s forgotten when the surfer wipes out. She cracks a grin without thinking. It’s admirable how long they lasted, though, especially in wind so strong.

The surfer floats back to shore on their board. Something about the sight is calming. The dark waves surround a lone figure, all against a gray backdrop. It wouldn’t be a bad composition. She should have brought her camera—one of those shitty old film cameras, the kind that you have to develop at Walmart. Her mom lets her “borrow” it, but they both know it’s Chaewon’s. No one wants to deal with the expense of film, the time to develop it, and the low quality of the photos after the trouble. It’s high-maintenance with little payoff, but she likes a challenge. It’s best that she left it back at the cottage; all the particles of dust and grit today wouldn’t do it any good.

Chaewon clenches her eyes shut as the wind picks up again and gusts more of the sand toward her. She spits it out, wiping the back of her hand against her mouth. She still feels some against her gums, but she doesn’t want to taste it more than she has to. Sand is an annoying thing, but even in weather like this, it reminds her of gold.

“Hey!” It comes from the direction of the ocean, but it doesn’t sound urgent enough for there to be an emergency. The wind drowns out all noise with its own.

“Hey!” Again. Except this time it’s much closer, almost sounds like it could be a yard or two away. “Do you wanna try?”

Chaewon straightens up and opens her eyes. A girl—the surfer—stands next to her, holding a lemon-yellow surfboard to her. Up close she looks a lot more like a normal person. Or less like a normal person. She looks like she could be a model.

“What?” Chaewon says from pure reflex. Even though she heard the question fine, she hasn’t processed a reply.

The girl draws back a bit, shifting a few steps into the sand. “Oh, sorry, I’m Hyunjin. You looked interested in surfing.” Hyunjin, Chaewon repeats mentally. She can’t help thinking that it suits the girl.

“My name’s Chaewon,” she says in turn, hugging her knees. The sand presses into her skin, leaving marks that will stay even when she goes back, dots of pink from flakes of gold. “I’m not really coordinated enough to surf.”

Hyunjin grins, sweeping strands of dripping black hair out of her face, loosened from her high ponytail. Her eyes are dark yet brighter than the sun on the water. Chaewon feels herself go pink, and not from the grit in the wind.

“That’s what everyone says when they start, but it’s not that hard. We’re all clumsy at first.”

Chaewon smiles, shaking her head. “You’d take that back if you saw me try.”

Hyunjin laughs. It doesn’t sound forced at all. “I don’t think so,” she insists. Chaewon smiles more. Hyunjin sits down—a healthy distance away, not violating the two feet of personal space that Chaewon always tries to preserve. “What brings you down here, Chaewon?”

“Needed some peace.”

“Why’s that?”

Strangers are usually annoying, but right now it’s another excuse not to go back. It’s not every day a cute surfer girl chats her up. “Vacation with the extended family.”

“Oh, I see.” Hyunjin lies down in the sand and Chaewon yelps because her hair is still wet and the sand is unclean. “What?” Hyunjin asks. Even with the wind, it’s obvious that her voice has settled a few steps into her chest, giving it a gravelly quality.

“Your hair,” Chaewon says. “You’re gonna get sand in it.”

Hyunjin grins and scoffs. “Cute of you to care, but it’s not a big deal.”

Chaewon scoffs back and says something like, “Go bald, then,” but her cheeks are warm. If she gets burned even after the layers of 55 SPF sunscreen she applied, she might consider suing the company.

“How long are you here for?” Hyunjin asks.

“Why?” Chaewon says instead of answering.

“Curiosity.” Hyunjin sits up and looks straight into her eyes. “I’m not a serial killer, if you’re wondering.” She says it with this dead-serious expression, almost too serious. If Chaewon was a little more gullible or a lot younger, she wouldn’t know what to think.

“I wasn’t,” Chaewon says, but she can’t help smiling. She turns her gaze back to the sea. “Probably three weeks. Depends.”

“Cool.” Hyunjin is rather chatty although they just met. She goes on to talk about her own family, how she comes to the beach to escape, like Chaewon (she doesn’t say the last part, but Chaewon thinks it). She’s been here for a week out of their month-long stay. They did the family hiking trip and the usual tourist activities, so she figures now is the time to relax. “We come here every year. I surf the days away,” she says.

“You seem pretty good at it.” She looked fluid, easy, as her board skated on the water. Even though the waves were fierce, she never wavered once. Chaewon envies some part of it all, maybe the confidence or the easiness.

Hyunjin laughs. “It’s all practice.” She sits up, on her haunches. Sand covers her wetsuit and hair, but she doesn’t seem to care. “I could teach you some time if you want,” she says.

“I’d like that,” Chaewon says without much thought. Her words have no weight to a stranger.

“Great.” Hyunjin stands up, over Chaewon for a moment, hovering for a moment. A smile spreads across her face, reaching her eyes the way a wave reaches the shore. “See you around, Chaewon,” she says, waving—her hands are large, now that Chaewon has looked twice. And the next instant, she’s off to the opposite side of the shore, all the way across from Chaewon’s cottage.

They won’t talk again. Chaewon walks back to her beach cottage and can’t stop thinking of the interaction. Of Hyunjin’s big hands and her easy way of talking. They might see each other a few more times, but she doubts the interaction will go beyond that. People don’t always speak truth when they give invitations, saying things they don’t mean. Chaewon figures what Hyunjin said about teaching her how to surf was one such thing.

Still, though. It was nice to speak with her, even if it was only once.

The thing about vacation with extended family is that you’re supposed to spend time with them. Chaewon has opted to avoid this, and her mom doesn't approve. Be more friendly, she’s already heard many times this first week alone. It's not even their house, and no one forced them to be hosts, but here they are.

Thank god she got her own room. It’s quiet here. Chaewon presses her face into her pillow, enjoying the lack of air for a moment. Family is stressful. She’d rather explore the waves, how they creep up to the beach and leave nothing but wet sand. Who said that blood was thicker than water? She and her cousins have blood in common and nothing else.

Her mom calls again. She yells back that she’s coming, grabs her camera and slings the strap over her neck, making sure to not jostle it. She might get a few good pictures if they’ll let her take some.

Thirty minutes of talking to the extended family, and Chaewon realizes she’s not going to get any. She forgets the type of people her family consists of, but none of them would be willing to live in front of a lens. They’re too aware of themselves. There’s a reason Chaewon prefers nature shots. Very few people can forget the eye of a camera.

Lunch is quiet after they get the pleasantries and life plans out of the way (not that she ever had many to discuss). The kids are on the recliners, watching Spongebob or some other cartoon while they eat. Chaewon is at one of the two adult tables. They all seem to eat in silence, even though she knows that they’re talking. Every so often someone laughs, but it doesn’t last long, always thins into the air till she can’t hear it anymore.

“Excuse me,” she says, putting her dishes in the sink, as the doorbell rings. Her mother goes up to get it.

“Hi, is Chaewon here?” The voice is Hyunjin’s. She hadn’t expected her to visit, but that doesn’t matter.

Her mother gives her a sidelong glance. “Yes, she is.”

Hyunjin looks almost exactly as she had two days ago, except her hair is loose now. The wind blows through it gently, and she grins when she sees Chaewon approach. “Hey,” she says.

“Hey,” Chaewon says back. Hyunjin looks from her to her mom. Her dark eyes have a look that says more than words will. They say that she understands.

“Can I hang out with Chaewon for a bit?” Hyunjin asks, very boldly for a girl none of them know.

Her mom raises her eyebrows. “What are you doing?”

“Some surfing. Chaewon asked if I could show her.” Chaewon's amazed that she remembered. Few people do.

“It's true,” Chaewon adds, in case Hyunjin's earnest expression isn't enough.

A beat of silence. Chaewon wonders if it will all end before it begins, but her mother sighs and waves her hand in a shooing motion.

“Go on, but be back before sundown.”

“We will,” Hyunjin replies, and takes Chaewon by the hand before she can get another word in.

Hyunjin holds tight to a bag, probably full of clothes. Which means that it hadn’t been a one-off remark. Which means that Hyunjin had come over with the sole intention of taking her out.

“Are we actually surfing?” she asks when they’re about halfway between her place and Hyunjin’s. Her yellow surfboard is only a little farther away, and this time it’s next to a long, tan board.

Hyunjin shrugs. Her hand is warm. “Unless you decide you don’t want to anymore. That’s fine.” A beat of silence passes, and she continues, “I wanted to see you again.”

The sun seems to draw out beads of sweat from her skin, from the palms of her hands. Never mind that the sun isn't shining on her palms, they’re getting moist anyway. Chaewon lets go of Hyunjin’s hand, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes. “Oh.”

“Is that a good ‘oh’ or a bad ‘oh’?” Hyunjin asks with a smile.

“It’s not bad,” Chaewon tells her.

“That counts for something, right?”

Probably, Chaewon thinks, but it’s hard for the words to get out. She stops trying after the moment passes, and Hyunjin doesn’t seem to mind. The silence isn’t comfortable, but it’s preferable to whatever had been going on in the house. Chaewon stares at the ocean while Hyunjin walks next to her. It’s been a long time since she felt like she could breathe this easily with a stranger—or an almost-stranger.

“Thanks for taking me out here.” The words weigh heavy on her tongue, as heavy as the camera hanging from her neck. Her fingers itch to reach for it and snap a few photos, but she doesn’t, feeling a bit too out-of-place. When the wind isn’t howling, all her courage leaves with it.

Hyunjin blinks. “I said I would take you out sometime,” she says with a bemused smile. Kindly. They're only acquaintances, and she's so kind.

Chaewon runs her fingertips over the round edges of her camera. “I figured you were saying that to be nice.”

Hyunjin tilts her head, raising an eyebrow. “Who says things like that to be nice?”

A lot of people. “You’d be surprised,” Chaewon says.

“Well,” Hyunjin says, “I don’t. What do you want to do?”

The sea is an inviting, bright green, and the only thing between it and them is a bunch of sand. There’s nothing to stop her from running, whether it’s back to the house or out to the sea.

“We could try surfing,” she says. A cool feeling sinks into her gut, and she hopes she won’t regret this, even though there’s no reason why she would. The worst thing that could happen is that she falls on her arm wrong and strains something. Or that she embarrasses herself.

Hyunjin beams, and _beam_ is the perfect verb, because Hyunjin lights up. “Great!” she says, opening the bag, which is, as Chaewon had suspected, full of clothes. Hyunjin hands her a neon green short and shirt set, and a one-piece swimsuit. “Here, take these,” Hyunjin says. “They’re both just-washed.”

“Thanks,” she says, saying nothing about how bright they are. She holds them out, then against herself, examining the size when they’re lined up with her body. They should fit well enough.

“Yeah, I didn't know your size, so I guessed,” Hyunjin says. She shifts her surfboard into her other arm, looking almost sheepish. “I can get you new ones if you need.” She raises a hand to the back of her neck, rubbing at tanned skin.

“No, it’s fine,” Chaewon says. “It’ll be okay.”

Hyunjin smiles after a moment, a smile that seems to slide onto her face as effortlessly as she had on the water. Chaewon notices once again how dark her eyes are. Almost black. It takes a long pause before she realizes she’s staring.

She looks away. “Uh, where can I change?” she stammers.

“You can change in there.” Hyunjin points at some outhouse-looking building. A public restroom. Chaewon wrinkles her nose and Hyunjin adds, “I promise it’s clean.”

“I hope it is,” Chaewon says with a half-laugh, plodding in the golden sand toward the bathroom.

To Hyunjin’s credit, it’s much cleaner than most beach restrooms. Chaewon changes without any problem, and when she walks outside, Hyunjin’s grinning. Her face feels warm, and she tries to ignore this.

“Okay, so where do we start?” she asks. Something smells like pine tree sap. She wrinkles her nose from the strength.

“I’ve got this longboard for you,” Hyunjin says. “It makes it easier when you start out.” She gestures to a board that’s about two feet taller than Chaewon. “I already put resin on it.”

“Is that the smell?”

“Isn’t it great?” Hyunjin closes her eyes and takes a long sniff. If Chaewon does the same, she might be able to convince herself that it’s nice. “Some people prefer wax,” Hyunjin says. “I like resin. It seems more natural.”

“So you’re one of _those_ surfers,” Chaewon says, reaching for the board. It’s heavier than expected, weighs her arms down. Hyunjin laughs.

“I guess,” she admits. “I like the whole nature thing, you know? It’s nice.”

“When it’s not blowing a hundred miles a minute, sure.” Chaewon pulls her hair up in a ponytail, trying to conjure up some image of what a surfer looks like. All that comes to mind is Hyunjin yesterday, wiping out.

Hyunjin points to the water and grabs her yellow board. “First things first. We wanna get comfortable being in the water.”

“Do I have to use the leash-thing?” Chaewon asks, looking at the longboard and the line attached to it.

“Probably.”

Chaewon fits the velcro so that it’s snug around her ankle. Some irrational part of her gut is scared that it will grow teeth and latch onto her, but she makes sure that it’s secure. Hyunjin checks it, her fingertips brushing over Chaewon’s skin, and then they both head toward the sea.

The main thing, like Hyunjin said at first, is to get comfortable in the water. Learn to not fear it. Water is a comfortable thing, lapping over her knees like the tongue of a harmless dog. Some people complain about not being able to feel the ground when they go farther into the ocean. To Chaewon, though, it feels like floating, like nothing can hold her down.

Balancing is a much harder aspect of surfing, and Hyunjin makes it look easier than it is. The first four times Chaewon pops up, she falls into the water within ten seconds. The fifth time she stands on the board, thinking she might finally make it, and then falls once more.

Hyunjin laughs. She's always laughing. It’s not a bad thing. “Bend at the knees,” she calls.

“I'm trying!”

“Knees, not back!”

Chaewon attempts, but her feet are too close together, distribution of weight working against her. Again she falls, the water going over her head, but at least she’s improved at regaining her composure. When she breaks the surface she spits out brine and a sharp curse. She climbs onto her board and lets the waves take her to Hyunjin, who’s waving at her.

“You're doing great,” Hyunjin promises when Chaewon floats a bit closer to shore. She offers a water bottle. Chaewon scoffs.

“Not really, but thanks.” She takes the water bottle, already-opened, and downs half of it. Hyunjin looks at her for a moment, weighing her with those dark eyes. Chaewon’s cheeks go warm under them.

They practice for a while more. Chaewon rises and falls like the waves, till at last, she can balance without fail. Who knows how long it’s been. In summer around these parts, it’s easy to lose track of time. The light is no guide, and the sun refuses to set till after nine. She suspects it’s been around four or five hours. Long enough that she shouldn't have issues sleeping tonight, muscles sore from repeated use. The board beneath her stomach is almost comfortable at this point, like she could use it as her bed tonight and sleep better than she has this trip.

“You’re a lot better than I was,” Hyunjin says, her tone half-envious and half-admiring. Chaewon thinks of her funny way of speaking, guarded and then not. She wears her emotions right at the edge of her worn sleeves, in the corners of her mouth. Hyunjin waits for Chaewon to paddle back to shore, and then holds a towel to Chaewon when she steps onto dry land. Chaewon undoes the velcro on her ankle and takes it.

“Thanks.” She sweeps hair out of her face, wiping salt water off her mouth as well as she can. She still tastes it. “So, that’s it for today?”

“It’s almost dark. I don’t think your mom would like me very much if I don’t bring you back like, right now.”

Chaewon wrings the water out of her hair and scoffs, patting her face dry. “She probably wouldn’t like you much anyway.” But she should indeed get back. The sun hasn’t set, but it’s already turned the sky a subtle shade of yellow that matches the color of Hyunjin’s hair-tie.

“What did I do?” Hyunjin asks. She takes Chaewon’s camera off her neck and holds it out. “And do you want this back now?”

“Nothing. Mom doesn’t like a lot of people.” Chaewon takes her camera, turns it on to make sure it’s not damaged. She once let a friend carry it for a short hike, and when she got it back, it had three new scratches. But nothing’s wrong with it this time. “Thanks for holding this.”

“No problem.” Hyunjin gathers up her towels and clothes, carrying both hers and Chaewon’s board under one arm as they walk. Her arms aren’t large, but they’re lean, toned from the surfing and the other physical activities Hyunjin mentioned. When Chaewon asks if she needs help, Hyunjin shakes her head and grins. Chaewon doesn’t look away from her bare arms till it’s been too long.

Silence falls between them again, but it’s never silent when the ocean is still talking. She should say something. Quiet is only good when it’s her and the empty air. Add one more person to the equation, add a scene like this after a day like today, and the math is impossible. Words come, but they seem to stick in her throat. She runs her pruney hands along her old camera. Undamaged.

“Did you have fun?” Hyunjin asks. She makes such intense eye contact. Chaewon used to think that light eyes were the most piercing kind of eyes, but she’s not sure anymore.

“Um.” She draws out the sound. Snapshots, flashes of color, zoomed into the smallest details. The waves, up close, before she wiped out. The feel of the board beneath her uncertain feet. The smell of pine resin clinging to her skin even now. Hyunjin laughing.

“I think so,” she says. “I think I had fun.”

“That’s good.” Hyunjin hums a tune, soft and slow, like a ballad. “Hey, we’re here.”

They got here so fast. It feels like a dream, but it’s her beach house. They stop right before the stairs that lead to the front porch, about to say goodbye. She's placing her towel on one of Hyunjin’s thin shoulders, when Hyunjin asks, “Would you want to do it again?”

Chaewon pauses and thinks of the golden sand and the green surf. “Is that another invitation?”

“Yeah, it is.”

The lights are on in her house. It’s dinnertime. Chaewon turns from the house to Hyunjin. It’s gotten a bit darker, a little more orange in the sky. Hyunjin stands there carrying all those things. Her dark hair begins to escape from her hair-tie, like ink leaking from a bottle.

“I had fun, too,” Hyunjin says, shifting her weight. “So.” She leaves that in the air. The light casts her in orange.

“Can I take your picture?” Chaewon asks before she can think.

Hyunjin’s expression doesn’t change when she nods. Maybe she’s gotten that question more than once. Chaewon’s hands are shaking when she lifts her camera and when she presses the button.

“Thanks,” she mutters. Her cheeks are hot. “And you can come over whenever you want.” She turns away, because there’s still light out, and she can’t let Hyunjin see her face redden. “I did have fun.”

Up the steps, onto the porch. Each time her foot hits the creaky wooden slats, she wants to look back, wants to see Hyunjin bathed in the glow of waning sunlight.

“Goodnight, Chaewon. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Chaewon looks back right as she opens the front door, as the smell of spaghetti comes out to greet her. Hyunjin turns around and starts for her own beach house. Chaewon catches a figurative snapshot of the moment: black hair coming undone from a loose ponytail, dark eyes intent. Everything painted a shade of gold. Chaewon can’t see her mouth, but for half a split second, Hyunjin’s smiling, and it reaches her eyes.

And so the days go. Since Chaewon doesn’t like her family all that much, she hangs out with Hyunjin. She surfs. She doesn’t perfect her pop-up, but she improves, and she learns to maneuver with the shorter board Hyunjin lets her use. Falling is a much rarer occurrence, but now she knows how to fall. Hyunjin says she’s a fast learner, and Chaewon responds that surfing for six days straight helps. Hyunjin laughs at that.

Surfing and Hyunjin have almost become synonymous with Chaewon’s family, but she knows the difference. Surfing is fun and Hyunjin is more fun. She has a sense of humor that hits the sweet spot between dry and eccentric. Hyunjin has two older brothers and the brightest smile, and she’s easy to like. Everything about Hyunjin seems easy, like an old tabby cat that sits in the sun, moving when she wants and staying when she wants. Assured in a way Chaewon’s always wanted to be. A feeling always sinks under her ribs when she thinks this, but it doesn’t feel like the damp coolness of envy. Her chest feels warm as the sun on the sand.

“What are you thinking about?” Hyunjin asks. They’re not surfing today, but somehow they ended up next to each other anyway. Hyunjin draws a meaningless shape in the sand and watches the waves take it away.

“They’re so loud, Hyunjin.” Chaewon sighs, wiggling her toes in the cold water and the rough sand.

“Can’t you tell them to shut up?” Hyunjin suggests, and Chaewon tries not to snort. It’s obvious now that she’s used to dealing with a different sort of family, asserting herself and facing few consequences. Chaewon likes how she speaks her mind without caring what people think.

“No, Mom would get so mad,” she says back, laughing. “I swear if I say one word against them she loses it.”

“Rip.” Hyunjin looks out to the ocean. It’s dark green today, a shade that seems agreeable enough, and the sun glints on it in fragments that sparkle. Chaewon pulls out her camera, angles it a bit, and snaps two pictures. “At least you can use me as an excuse, right?” Hyunjin says, laughing.

“I guess,” Chaewon says. She laughs along after a beat spent on staring at the silhouette of Hyunjin’s profile set against the clear sky. She takes a picture of that, too. Only one, because she knows it will turn out well. It doesn’t take a pageant judge to realize that Hyunjin is pretty. She seems to light up like the sun, makes everything around her warm and golden.

“You taking pictures again?” She nudges her shoulder against Chaewon’s arm, throwing her off balance on the shifting sand. Chaewon trips. Hyunjin grabs her forearm, keeping her from falling.

Chaewon breathes a sigh of relief in the same instant Hyunjin murmurs, “Oops, sorry.” But she isn’t letting go. The sun makes the contact feel much warmer than it otherwise would.

“I’m trying to capture the moment,” Chaewon says.

Hyunjin rolls her eyes with a grin. “It’s just me.” Chaewon opens her mouth to refute the statement, but Hyunjin breaks away, looking into the distance at the pier. It’s much more crowded than it’s been recently. Today is warm and the wind is gentle. Umbrellas bloom from the sand itself like a sort of synthetic flora, a vast array of shades and colors. Chaewon likes the green ones best, the ones with a hint of blue. She takes another couple of pictures.

People scatter all over the shore and in the water. Hyunjin stares, searching for something. She frowns when she’s exerting herself, squints in the sun, but soon a smile creeps onto her lips.

“Hey, there’s a really good hotdog vendor near the dock,” she says, looking back at Chaewon. “How’s that sound?”

She hasn’t eaten anything since her protein shake breakfast, and her stomach is making this clear. “Tempting,” she admits.

“Let’s go, then.” Hyunjin starts toward the pier, only turns back for a moment to make sure Chaewon’s still with her. “I’ll pay.”

Before Chaewon can protest, Hyunjin has run off, too far away for there to be any chance of stopping her. Chaewon purses her lips together to suppress a grin, shaking her head as she trails after Hyunjin. She’s so decisive. Chaewon used to envy that, but lately, she only admires it. A lot can change in a couple of weeks.

When Chaewon finally reaches her, Hyunjin already has two hotdogs in her hands. She bites down on one and hands over the other. Chaewon makes sure to keep her camera away from the grease, murmurs a thanks to both her and the vendor. She doesn’t ask how Hyunjin knew exactly which condiments she wanted.

They wander around a bit, careful not to kick up sand around so many other people. Chaewon likes to look at the umbrellas, so Hyunjin looks with her, inserting random commentary here and there (“That one’s kind of ugly—” “Don’t say that!”).

“What else do you do at the beach?” Chaewon asks, noting that few people have umbrellas more adventurous than the usual solid or stripes. Hyunjin’s still eating away, even though Chaewon already finished her hotdog. Vendor food is never great, but she feels full and satisfied. If that’s from the food or the company with her, she’s not sure.

“The dock’s pretty nice,” Hyunjin says, her voice muffled.

“You wanna go there?”

Hyunjin shrugs. “If you wanna. Or we could part ways here.” The idea of leaving Hyunjin in the fullness of the day is absurd. Chaewon catches the way her posture stiffens yet goes soft. If legible is a word for people, it’s one for Hyunjin. She might be guarded, but she’s easy to read. Everything about the slope of her shoulders, the way she grips the rest of the bun in her hand. Don’t go yet, she says without speaking.

“We can go,” Chaewon says. It seems natural for her to link her arm with Hyunjin’s, warm from something other than the summer. Hyunjin breathes a contented sigh and bumps into her with a smile. Chaewon pretends she didn’t see.

The sand sinks under their feet. It’s been over two weeks, and she still isn’t used to walking on it. Hyunjin takes long strides. She has already straightened up again, so Chaewon leans on her for support. Hyunjin is a solid person, even considering how whimsical she can be at times. Their inner elbows are sweaty and their skin will stick together when they pull apart. That feels inconsequential compared to the warmth in the pit of her stomach.

Coming closer to the dock, it looks older and more worn than from a distance. What may have been a rich brown has now faded into a barely-there tan. Its boards are rickety and they look structurally unsound, so when Hyunjin suggests they take a walk to the edge, Chaewon says a firm No. She takes a few pictures of the dock to a blue sky background. They wander beneath it instead, careful to avoid any questionable patches—the ones with algae or dead fish remains. Under here smells much stronger than Chaewon anticipated, but she can deal with it.

Hyunjin wrinkles her nose and shoves the last of her hotdog into her mouth. “More fishy than I remembered. You okay?”

It takes a moment before Chaewon realizes she’s supposed to answer. “Oh, yeah. I’m fine.”

Hyunjin laughs. At this point it’s such a familiar sound, ringing clear in Chaewon’s mind. “Sorry,” she says, “You remind me a lot of a princess.”

“Is that good or bad?” she ventures. Hyunjin looks away. Chaewon can’t see her face, but she’s laughing again.

“Good. It’s a good thing.” Hyunjin clenches her elbow a bit tighter, and that warmth leaks beneath her skin even more. She murmurs something under her breath.

“What’d you say?”

“Nothing.” Hyunjin shrugs, looks back to her with soft eyes. Chaewon wants to learn how to memorize one instant in time without cameras or film.

A burning sensation stings beneath her skin. Hyunjin declares, “I’m tired. I’m going to rest.” She tries to pry them apart, but Chaewon holds her arm tight.

“I can stay,” she says. She holds Hyunjin’s gaze as close as she holds her arm.

The moment passes between them the way the sun traverses the extent of the sky. The gulls squawk above them, the waves slap against the sharp rocks near the shore, and Hyunjin’s eyes are so earnest. Chaewon’s blood pulses between each second.

Finally, Hyunjin sighs and smiles a quiet sort of smile. “I’d feel better if you do, anyway.”

She sits in the cleanest patch of sand that they can find, right next to one of the dock’s legs. The pieces of this moment interlock, slide together like magnets. Hyunjin leans against her lightly at first, but the minutes fly by and her weight on Chaewon’s side grows heavy. She’s so warm compared to this shade.

Closing her eyes, Chaewon focuses on the sensation of Hyunjin’s head on her shoulder. Hyunjin’s dark hair tickles her neck. Cameras can’t remember this for her, so she tries to memorize it all for herself. A single moment in summer with Hyunjin leaned against her. The dead-fish smell mixed with the scent of resin from Hyunjin’s board wax. She sighs, rests her back against the dock, careful not to disturb Hyunjin. She isn’t hard to like.

Chaewon just likes her a lot more than that.

Hyunjin yells when she wipes out, a rare occurrence—both the yelling and the wiping out. Chaewon sits at the edge of shore to make sure Hyunjin doesn’t drown, watching and keeping her feelings to herself. She knows better than to say anything to a girl she’s only known for two weeks. It’s funny how attached she got in that short period. It seems like they’ve known each other for longer, maybe because most of her family skipped town, so she can spend most of each day with Hyunjin. It’s quieter now.

Hyunjin is still graceful. Chaewon hasn’t been doing as much surfing, but Hyunjin has kept it up. Sometimes she looks so smooth that Chaewon wonders if any of this is real. Maybe she’s dreaming. She squints against the sun in her eyes and adjusts the focus of her camera. Hyunjin floats back to the beach, to her. She takes a picture, Hyunjin’s face flushed and clear in her sights. She’s taken a lot of pictures, which Hyunjin notes.

“I’m not that photogenic.” She grabs fistfuls of dry sand and buries her ankles with it.

But you are, Chaewon thinks. “Tell that to the camera,” she replies instead.

“Oh, the camera.” Hyunjin leans into her space, eyes intent with something Chaewon cannot read. “Not the person behind it?”

Chaewon could let the words spill out, but when she opens her mouth they catch in her throat. Hyunjin probably knows most of the truth, anyway. She has a knack for things like that. Chaewon sprinkles sand over Hyunjin’s legs, breaking eye contact, and says, “Fine, _I_ think you’re photogenic,” and nothing more.

A hand brushes against her cheek as Hyunjin sweeps some hair away from her face. “You’re pretty, too,” Hyunjin says, the edge of her hand lingering on Chaewon’s jaw just a second too long.

Chaewon doesn’t know the monetary status of Hyunjin’s family, but she can guess. Hyunjin’s beach house is two stories high and each room is beyond spacious. The floors are pristine tile. Hyunjin could have grabbed a change of clothes on her own, but she told Chaewon she wanted to show her something,. Chaewon stares around before Hyunjin tells her that her room is upstairs. Chaewon worries that if she lays a finger on the white staircase rails, she’ll ruin the finish on them. She keeps her hands to herself.

As they walk up the stairs—the breadth of them twice that of most stairways—Hyunjin turns around and grabs Chaewon’s forearm wordlessly. Her grasp slips down, fingers circling Chaewon’s wrist like a leash to her ankle. Chaewon raises her eyebrows.

“This surprise better be good,” she says.

“It will be.”

Hyunjin’s room is behind the first door she sees, as roomy as the rest of the house. There are articles of clothing on the floor that Hyunjin kicks away, looking embarrassed, but it’s clean. Chaewon had expected a little more mess. “You can sit on the bed, if you want,” Hyunjin says, scooping up some clothes from her dresser. “Make yourself at home.” She backs into an open door that Chaewon has only now noticed, into the bathroom.

“Don’t take too long,” Chaewon warns, no real threat in it.

Hyunjin grins and locks the door behind her. Chaewon sits on the bed. The bedspread is quilted and spotted with yellow cats, each with a cartoonish fish clenched in its mouth. It’s warm from the sun that filters through the glass door, which opens to the balcony Hyunjin had mentioned earlier. The day is coming to an end.

Hyunjin had told her to make herself at home, so Chaewon doubts she’d mind if Chaewon went out to the balcony. Even so, Chaewon tries not to disturb anything when she walks out onto the platform of wood. There’s a chair, and she sits on it, watching how the light turns the green waves golden. She’s grown a greater fondness for the ocean after learning to surf on it, and she hopes she’s developed a better eye for the scenery as well. Hyunjin probably helped both of those.

Chaewon leans back till her vision is upside-down, and Hyunjin is smirking at her as she leans against the doorframe. “I see you ruined your surprise.” She’s in yellow pajamas and Chaewon can’t help but be endeared.

“What, the sunset?”

Hyunjin nods, and Chaewon sits back up, rolling her eyes. She can’t take Hyunjin seriously while she’s wearing those cutesy cat slippers. She feels dizzy, tells herself it’s the blood rushing to her head, but she knows better.

“I told you not to take long,” she says, even though Hyunjin took all of perhaps five minutes. She smells like pine still, although that might be a body wash or something.

“I didn’t,” Hyunjin insists, and Chaewon laughs when she pretends to pout. She runs a hand through her still-wet hair, tousling it. It’s hard to not watch too intently. Hyunjin goes to the edge of the balcony, leaning against the railing. Chaewon stands, too, reveling in the warmth of the sun and Hyunjin. “It’s pretty though, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” She’s not looking at the water at all. The light emphasizes the glow that Hyunjin already has. It makes Chaewon’s breath catch right in the hollow of her throat. She forgot her camera, but staring at Hyunjin’s profile, she figures she doesn’t need it.

Hyunjin turns to her. “Chaewon,” she says. “I like you.”

Chaewon starts, pointedly facing the ocean so she can hide her flushed cheeks. “So sudden,” she says, while her heart plays a beat. Her voice is smooth to hide how flustered she is, but Hyunjin’s got that dimple in her cheek, so it’s not working. She toys with the thought of saying something more. It’s all so much with Hyunjin’s bright eyes on her, catching the warm glow of the sunset.

Hyunjin stretches her arms across the rail, movements languid. “It’s not sudden at all.” She grins, teasing, but her voice belies seriousness.

“It looks sudden,” Chaewon says. She runs her hand along the smooth, wooden rails. Hyunjin is still looking at her. She has wondered once or twice if human eyes can produce light all on their own. Now she’s almost convinced they might.

Hyunjin hums. “But really,” she says after a moment, her eyes resting on Chaewon’s with that dark intensity, “I like you a lot.”

The waves whisper something that Chaewon cannot comprehend. “I like you too,” she says, voice low.

Hyunjin keeps looking. At her, beyond her. The sun dips into the sea in her peripheral vision. “Can I kiss you?”

Her quickening heartbeat pounds out two measures. “I wouldn’t mind if you did,” she says, moving closer, into Hyunjin’s warmth.

Hyunjin sits up and reaches out, holding Chaewon’s face in her large hand. With the sun setting, the evening has already gotten cooler, but Chaewon can’t feel it. This warmth has drifted beneath her skin. “Hyunjin,” she says, more sighed than spoken.

Hyunjin makes a noise, deep in her chest. It comes out like a purr. She tilts her head and her breathing is quiet, almost inaudible. “We don't have to,” she whispers. “If you don't want.” Her eyes are deep, her mouth pursed. She thumbs at the edge of Chaewon’s jaw and both their hearts are pounding. Listening closer, she might hear Hyunjin tremble.

She shakes her head. “I want to.” There’s barely any space between them. Hyunjin smells like sweet pine. Chaewon rests a hand on her shoulder and takes a breath.

Hyunjin hums again, the subtlest form of assent Chaewon’s heard from her, and she leans in. Hyunjin’s lips are warmer than expected, much warmer than the evening beach air, and they’re chapped. The roughness is unfamiliar and strange, but when Hyunjin draws back and cracks a smile, it’s worth it.

“Wear lip balm next time,” Chaewon mutters, before Fuck, I like you or One more time, but Hyunjin giggles.

“I will,” she promises. Her voice is soft, and her lips feel a little more so when she presses them to Chaewon’s again.

“You’re coming to the blowout tomorrow?” Hyunjin asks, but it’s nowhere near a real question. Chaewon takes her hand even though it’s so much bigger than her own, and rolls her eyes.

“Yes, ma’am.” The wind isn’t as strong as it was a few weeks ago, but neither of them are going into the water. They’ll still have other chances to surf.

“For sure?”

“Jesus, vacation isn’t over yet, Hyunjin.” Chaewon doesn’t know what they’ll do once it is, but that’s a worry for another time. Right now, Hyunjin is in front of her, wearing an ugly tie-dye shirt and neon green shorts, her eyes sparkling under the sun. Chaewon thinks they’ll have all the time they need.

“I know,” Hyunjin says, grinning. She shifts and flips Chaewon’s hand into hers. It fits better this way. Hyunjin’s hand is warm and sweaty but Chaewon doesn’t care. “See you around, then,” she says with a laugh.

Chaewon scoffs. “Maybe.”

Hyunjin raises their linked hands and presses her rough lips to the back of Chaewon’s hand. She then releases her, beaming all the while. Chaewon knows she’s not red from the sun, but it’s nice to have an excuse, so Hyunjin can’t lord it over her.

“Later, Chaewon!” Hyunjin winks and races off toward the Shell Shack, leaving Chaewon to scream about lip balm.

It doesn’t take Hyunjin long to fall out of view. When she does, Chaewon turns back to the sea. She closes her eyes and smells the scent of jasmine that the breeze carries. Her lips are still warm, still tasting of something sweet.

She opens her eyes and sits in the warm sand, gold everywhere the sunshine touches. She doesn't care if it dirties her sundress or gets into her sneakers. The ocean is tranquil and smooth, the waves seeming to fit together like pieces of an emerald puzzle. Sand in her hair, sun in her eyes, Hyunjin on her mind. She takes a breath of air.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading and i hope it was enjoyable!!!! if you liked it all comments and kudos are wholly appreciated <33


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